Playing With The Big Boys
by AlyssaLLBlack13
Summary: Jacob/OC. Sometimes, you just have to get hit really hard on the head for things to make sense. This is what it feels like for Jacob. But the rest of the Pack doesn't agree. WARNING: Not canon. At all. Jake/Cullens friendship minus Edward .
1. Prologue

Prologue

Prologue

_They circled each other, growling, neither daring to break the defensive and phase. On one side of the clearing, the wolves gathered. On the other, the vampires. _

_Emily glared at me from across the clearing and I felt Emmett stiffen behind me. We all knew what was at stake here. If Sam lost, the Pack would break and attack. If he won, the vampires would fight to keep me alive. If Sam won, the wolves, believing that I was the reason behind the fight, would demand my life. My life in return for Jacob's. The irony was overwhelming._

_The shudders ripped down their spines at the same time, and Jasper's arms were suddenly around me. Gently protective, but if I tried to break free of him, I would find those arms to be as hard as steel._

_Jacob gave a sudden, plaintive howl, crouching low, and Sam sprang quickly, in the blink of an eye. Jacob leapt and rolled left, causing Sam to miss. When he spun to face Jacob, he wasn't where Sam expected._

_A sudden snarl of pain from Jacob told me that Sam's teeth had found their mark, and when I looked at him, sure enough, Jacob was bleeding. He snarled again, and I knew that the battle for my life had truly begun. And how it would it, none of us could know._


	2. Prue

_**A/N: This story is going to switch POV between Prue (The OC) and Jacob. For the most part, it'll be by chapters, in which case I'll put it in the chapter title, but there will be a few spots where it is within chapters, in which case I'll warn right before the switch. In those cases, I'll also put the name of the character who has the majority of the chapter in the title.**_

I didn't understand why we had to move to Forks, Washington, of all places. I mean, I know, after the...incident, our Uncle Tom wanted to get us as far away from New Orleans as possible. He asked each one of us to suggest a place. I suggested Sedona, Arizona; I wanted to stay near the mysticism I'd grown up in and become accustomed to. Ellie suggested New York; she loved city life and high fashion. Hector wanted Albuquerque; his girlfriend had moved there last year and he wanted to see her again. David voted for Seattle, but he wouldn't reveal why. I knew none of us really cared, though, when Uncle Tom said that we weren't going to any of those places.

Uncle Tom found a nice little place in Washington, between the town of Forks and La Push, the Quileute reservation. David's guess was close. We were moving down in May, three weeks before the school let out. Hector and I, the twins, would both finish our sophomore year at Forks High School. Ellie, two years younger, would also attend, as a freshman. David would go to community college in nearby Port Angeles come September. We could go down to the La Push beaches on weekends (not that I would be going. I couldn't swim), and into town, and according to Uncle Tom, we were a stone's throw away from another family, the Cullen's.

Uncle Tom also promised to find me a car. A bribe, I knew, to try and cheer me up, but sure enough, when he went to actually see the house, he started talking to a member of the Quileutes and managed to score me a restored VW Rabbit from one of the younger tribe members. According to his new Native American friend, who he identified as Sam Uley, the car's owner, Jacob, had no need for it anymore, since he had acquired a motorcycle and drove it around instead. I made a note to go down first thing and pick up the Rabbit so I could thank Sam and Jacob in person.

Uncle Tom stayed in Forks to arrange a few things. Hector and Ellie would stay with Grandmere until they flew out, but David and I left four days before them. David drove his truck, with the U-haul trailer carrying our stuff attached, and I followed in the minivan our parents used to use. We'd been elected as the cross-country drivers because David, at eighteen, and I were the only ones with drivers licenses.

Uncle Tom made sure to equip David and I with CB's so we could communicate. We were only supposed to use it to call one another if we needed a stop, but we spent a lot of time bonding over it instead. I told him about my disturbing fears of losing my mysticism and my connection to the occult; after what had happened, it scared me that I even still turned to those things for solace; he told me about his pen pal in Forks. He confessed that she was the reason he wanted to move to Washington.

The last night we were on the road, we stayed in a little roadside motel off of a highway in Washington. The motel had no restaurant, so we found a truck stop instead. Over dinner, David showed me one of the letters from his pen pal, Bella. She told him she was looking forward to meeting him, and that he was going to love Forks. After reading the letter, I handed it back to him. "She seems nice."

David nodded. "I hope so. She's finishing up her senior year in high school. So you'll meet her. She knows Jacob, too. You know..."

"The guy Tom bought the Rabbit off of. Cool."

David nodded. "Yeah. She agreed to introduce you to him once we get settled in."

"Nice. I'm looking forward to it."

We ate in silence for awhile after that. My thoughts drifted to places I didn't want them to be. David must have noticed, because he gave me a concerned look. "You wanna talk about it, Prue?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

He sighed. "You're gonna have to talk sooner or later, you know."

"I pick never."

"Prue..."

"No." My tone was vehement. "David, you don't understand. You didn't watch it happen. How could you possibly think you could begin to know how I feel? I'm entitled to a choice on this. And I choose not to talk."

"Prue, listen to me. Of course you're right. I don't know how you feel, I wasn't there. To have to watch your parents..."

"Don't say it!" I growled. "I can't stand even thinking about it." We were walking back to the motel now; dinner had long since been over.

David paused at the door to our room. "Prue, look. I realize this has to really suck for you. But we need to put it behind us now. They're gone. They're not coming back."

"I KNOW that!" I was fighting hard to keep from screaming. "Don't you think I freaking know that? I don't care. And I can't move on. Not until the monsters that did this pay for it."

David wrapped his lanky arms around me. "Prue, please. Calm down. Look, we'll be in Forks pretty early in the morning. Why don't you go over to the reservation and meet Jacob while Uncle Tom and I unpack? It'll do you some good."

I nodded. "Fine. I'd like that." I opened the door to our room. "How early, do you think?"

"If we leave around nine am, we'll hit Forks by ten-thirty. It'll take fifteen minutes to drive through town, and from the new house, another ten to reach the Blacks. You'll be there by eleven am."

"What if he's asleep?"

"I doubt that. Bella wrote that he hardly does that anymore. She won't say why, though. It's really weird. She's pretty secretive about things."

"Whatever." I yawned. "Okay, I'll go visit Jacob when we get to Forks."

David smiled. "Good. Get some sleep. We're getting up early in the morning."


	3. Jacob

Bella had warned me that the girl who bought the Rabbit off of us would be moving down soon, but no one told me I'd be meeting her right away. Bella had said she'd bring the girl down to meet me, so I figured a couple of weeks after she moved in.

Nope. The day Bella told me they were scheduled to move in (I remembered it because Bella also mentioned the little fact that her leech would be away hunting--I was going to "kidnap" Bella before Alice could), I was waiting around outside for a reasonable hour to go get Bella from work when the Rabbit lazed its way up the driveway. She seemed nervous; at least, she waited in the idling car for almost ten minutes before she killed the engine and got out. I stayed a comfortable distance away on the porch. Didn't want her to bolt like a frightened cat. Of course, she didn't come any closer, and I wasn't sure if she saw me on the porch or not, but Billy heard the car pull up.

I poked my head inside before he could come to the door. "Don't worry about it, Dad, it's just the girl who bought the car from us. She probably just wants to say thanks."

Billy nodded. "Alright. Why don't you invite her inside?"

"Um, besides the fact that she looks like a deer in the headlights right now? She'd probably faint dead away if I did." I closed the door before he could say anything else and turned back to face the girl.

She had gotten braver and was making her way up the porch now. I smiled encouragingly. "I don't bite, you know. Really."

She cracked the tiniest of smiles at that. Weird. The somber frown looked out of place on her. I shook the thought from my head as she spoke. "Sorry. I'm not good with new people right now."

I chuckled a bit and made my way off the porch. I extended a hand. "I'm Jacob. So, I guess your father bought the Rabbit for you."

"Uncle, actually. And yeah, he did. I'm Prue Dubois, by the way."

"French?"

"The name is. I'm from Louisiana." That tiny smile was back. Funny, even with that small, barely noticeable smile, her eyes sparkled. And they were such a nice shade of blue-gray. Ocean colored.

I broke my train of thought forcefully, hoping I hadn't been staring. If I was, she hadn't noticed. I tried to be nonchalant. "So, you just moved in, right? That little place alongside the Cullen property?"

She nodded. "Tom--my uncle--he's been here for a couple of weeks now. David, my older brother, and I drove out here. We just got in this morning. My other siblings are flying out next week."

"Wow. Big family. Must be nice, having all those people to talk to."

She shrugged. "Sometimes. Hector and I are twins, but after this trip, I feel a lot closer to David. Ellie's the baby. I used to be really close to my mother, but..." she trailed off, and I had the strongest urge to take her into my arms. She'd been hurt, obviously, and it killed me to see the pain in her eyes.

I frowned. "Used to be?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it. I shouldn't have brought it up."

I nodded. "Don't worry about it. So, um...how about a tour of the town? I could drive." I expected a decline (at best) and several other things that weren't too kind (at worst). What I didn't expect was a nod. "I'd like that."

She tossed me the car keys. "Just promise not to wreck the car, I don't get a new one if this one crashes."

I laughed at that, and it widened her smile a bit. Holy crow, she was pretty when she smiled. All thoughts of picking Bella up vanished as I opened the car door for her. "Allow me."

She started at that, and I was afraid I'd done something wrong, but then she climbed in. "I'm not used to people doing things like that for me. It surprised me."

I grinned at that. "I'm full of 'em. It seems to be a habit of mine."

I almost got a smile at that, but not quite. I did have to duck to get in the Rabbit though; I'd forgotten how small it was. Of course, Prue wasn't all that big either; compared to me, she was downright short. Taller than Alice, but not as tall as Bella. She brushed her hair back from her face. She had a mane of reddish-gold hair down her back; at the moment, it was braided, but a few loose tendrils escaped.

Before I could clear my thoughts and get in the car, Billy called to me. "Jake, Sam's on the phone. Could be important."

I gave an exaggerated sigh to Prue. "Duty calls. I guess we'll have to take a rain check on that tour." I handed her the keys back.

She shrugged. "I need to help unpack anyways. Maybe another time."

I nodded. "I'll call you tomorrow."

She started the engine, but drove off before I could say anything. I went inside to the phone reluctantly. "I'm here. What's going on?"

Sam's voice was calm. "There's nothing urgent, Emily wants all of us together for dinner."

"Okay. Oh, hey Sam? When you...you know, imprinted, how did you know?"

"I just did." I heard Sam chuckle. "I looked at her, and suddenly, I knew my world was complete. And I couldn't stop staring. Still can't, not really. Why?"

"Because," I swallowed. "I think I have."


	4. Jake

I paced by the phone for an hour after hanging up with Sam. He'd told me to see if Prue wanted to come to dinner with us. I couldn't bring myself to pick up the phone.

When the first hour passed, Billy announced that Chief Swan was here, and he was going up for the game. I nodded, then had the presence of mind to ask "Where's Bella tonight?"

Charlie had entered by then, so he was the one to answer. "She's spending the night with Alice over at the Cullen place. You could probably head over for a few, if you need to talk to her."

Billy opened his mouth to answer, and I swiftly cut him off. "I can't tonight. I'm due and Sam's in an hour for dinner, and I might have to pick another friend up first. But I'll call her."

Billy nodded. "Speaking of calling, you should actually find out if Prue wants to go before making plans to pick her up."

Charlie paused. "Prue? The Dubois girl? But they just moved in this morning. Bella hasn't even been by yet."

I nodded. "Yeah, she came by here earlier. To thank us for the car."

"Oh." Charlie nodded. "Right."

Billy waved as he was leaving. "I won't be late. Have fun at Sam's."

I nodded as they left. Hand on the phone, I waited for the cruiser to be gone before actually picking up and dialing. Two numbers in, I started to panic, but resisted the urge to hang up. I finished dialing, and before I could actually hang up after the first ring, a male voice answered. "Jackson-Dubois residence. David speaking."

I fought the urge to slam the phone down right away. "Hi, David. I'm Jacob Black. You uncle bought the car off of me? I was wondering if I could talk to Prue?"

"Yeah, just a sec." There was some muffled shuffling, and then Prue's voice came over the line. "Hello?"

"Hi, Prue? It's Jacob."

I could almost hear the small smile in her voice. "Hey Jacob. What's up?"

I couldn't suppress my own grin. "I was wondering...well, I was invited to dinner with some friends--sort of a small party, really--and they asked me if I wanted to bring you along."

There was hesitation in her voice when she answered. "Um...let me ask my uncle. Hold on."

There was a few moments of silence, save for something muffled over the phone. Then Prue got back on. "Um...how late are we going to be?"

"Not very. Maybe..." I looked at the clock. It was almost seven. "Well, it's Friday night. I'll have you home by midnight, at the latest."

Another muffled conversation, then a male voice. "Jacob, its Tom."

"Oh, hello, Mr. Jackson. What can I do for you?"

"Where is it you want to take my niece?"

I bit my lip; I hadn't counted on her uncle getting involved. "A friend of mine is having a small party. Some of the kids in the tribe. I'm more passing along his invitation, but he wants Prue to come."

"And you'll have her back by two?"

"AM?"I frowned. "Yeah, I'll have her back by then. Probably earlier."

"Alright. She can go. Don't leave Forks, and have her back by two. What all were you planning on?"

"The party. I'll take her over to meet the Cullens. Maybe a walk on the beach."

"Be careful. Here's Prue."

I smiled again. "Cool. So, I'll be by in twenty minutes to get you, okay? And it's a casual affair, so don't worry about impressing anyone."

"Okay." I almost heard her smile again. "I'll see you in twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes," I confirmed. After saying goodbye, I hung up. My face was aching, but I couldn't stop grinning. My first--not date, per say--but my first actual non-garage encounter with Prue, and I was grinning like an idiot.


	5. Author's Note

Author's note: Okay, well, I said at one point that I would put the character name in the chapter title, but the site won't let me. So from Chap. 5 onward, I'll put the character name at the beginning of each chapter, and actual titles for the chapters. Sorry for the confusion!


	6. Meeting the Family

Prue

I spent ten minutes standing in front of the closet door. I couldn't decide what to wear. I was already wearing a decent outfit--a black tunic over a long black skirt--but I didn't want to wear the same thing he'd already seen me in that day. David suggested my pink long-sleeved top, the one with the black ribboning all over. He called it my "faux-corset."

I pulled the top out. It did seem like something Jacob would like, but I had nothing to go with it. Or didn't I? I dug deeper into the box in my closet, the box labeled "Pre-Move Clothing," and pulled out the green leather pants I'd bought with the top. The whole outfit made me look like a Gothic rose. Paired with the right make-up, the effect was stunning.

With ten minutes wasted obsessing over the outfit, I had less time for the "stunning" make-up. I thought for a few minutes, and then decided to go natural--leave the make-up. I pulled out green and gold Roman sandals, my favorite shoes, and laced them up my legs. After I finished with that, I quickly brushed my hair. Wild, unruly mane that it was, I was able to tame it back into a braid. Like always, a few loose strands escaped. I didn't have time to worry about that, because Uncle Tom was calling my name.

Jacob was waiting in the living room, motorcycle helmet under his arm. He smiled when I walked into the room. "You look...amazing."

I blushed. "Thank you." I nodded towards the bike helmet. "I hope you have another one of those."

He laughed. "Of course." Then he faced my uncle. "She'll be home probably before one."

Uncle Tom nodded. "Good. "Prue, you have the number? If you need me to come get you?"

"I'll be fine, Uncle Tom." I grabbed my jacket and headed out the door. "Don't wait up."

He chuckled. "You know I will. Have fun."

Once we were clear of the door, Jacob handed me the helmet. "Here you go."

I hesitated before putting it on. "Aren't you going to wear one?"

He shrugged. "Trust me when I say that if we crash, the pavement's in more trouble than my head. By the way, what's your opinion on fast driving?"

I shrugged. "Go for it." Putting the helmet on, I climbed onto the seat behind him.

The ride to Sam's took all of fifteen minutes. Before I knew it, Jacob was pulling off of the bike. "We're here."


	7. Werewolves and Imprinting

Jake

Jake

I took the helmet from Prue and placed in on the motorcycle seat. She suddenly looked nervous, so I smiled at her. "Don't worry, Sam doesn't bite."

She smiled a bit at that. "I'm sure he doesn't. I just...never mind."

I frowned and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's fine."

I nodded, deciding not to push it further right now. I reached up to knock on the door, but before I could, Sam had it opened. "It's about time, Jacob." He was smiling. "Everyone else is already here. Jared brought Kim, of course, and Quil is playing with Claire." He turned to face Prue. "And you must be Prue. I'm Sam Uley. Come on in."

Prue nodded, eyes wide, and I tensed, ready to spring in front of her. Emily chose to walk over then, and she took Prue's hand. "I'm Emily Young. Don't worry, everyone will love you." She smiled, very natural, and Prue relaxed.

Sam gave me a look as Emily led Prue inside. "She seems skittish."

I nodded. "She does. I don't know why. I mean, I just met her today."

Sam shrugged. "So, is Bella coming?"

"No." I made a show of disapproving. "She's staying the night with those leeches."

Before Sam could say anything else, I walked over to where Emily was introducing Prue to everyone else. I sat down on the couch, and when Prue was finally able to pull away from Emily, I motioned her over. "So, what do you think?"

She smiled a bit. "Everyone seems nice. But I get the feeling that there's something going on here that I don't know about."

I tried to look nonchalant. "Like what?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I grew up in New Orleans, the supernatural capital of the world. I can usually tell when something unnatural is going on."

I looked to Sam. He gave a resigned nod, and everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. All except Claire, who continued to chew on Quil's arm, and Emily, who watched the group while she finished cooking. I sighed. "Okay, you win. You've heard of things like vampires, and werewolves, and such, right?"

She nodded. "Of course. What kind of Cajun would I be if I hadn't?"

I nodded. "Good. Well, what if I told you that all of that was real?"

She frowned. "I know that. I've seen vampires before."

I let that slide for the moment and nodded. "Well, all of us, here in this room, with the exception of you, Claire, and Emily, are werewolves. It's...well, it's hard to explain, but..."

"Then don't explain it." Leah's voice was hard, her eyes cold. "Isn't it enough that Bella knows, that those leeches across the line know? Why should we explain to anyone else who isn't part of the tribe?"

"Leah..." Sam began, but Leah cut him off. "No! I see no reason why someone human-and not part of the tribe-should know about us."

Sam grabbed Leah by the arm. I saw the faintest of shudders pass down his spine. "I see several reasons. Forgive me if I don't share them with you." His voice was low, barely a whisper, and we all recognized the dangerous tone he was using. "Now, I think you should leave. The rest of us want to have a good time, and I don't think we can do that with you here."

Leah glared at Sam for a minute. The rest of the Pack tensed, ready to break up the fight. Then Leah broke free of Sam's grasp and flounced out of the room. We heard the door slam a minute later. Emily put her hand on Sam's shoulder. "Give her an hour to calm down, and then go after her."

Sam nodded, and then turned back to me. "Go ahead and continue, Jacob."

I looked at Prue before continuing. She was wide-eyed, staring at the spot when Leah had been sitting. I rubbed her shoulder gently, and she jumped and glanced at me. I furrowed my brow. "Are you okay for us to continue?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Go on."

I sighed. "Okay, well, to understand the whole thing, you have to know the legends. Um..." I faced Sam. "I don't know them very well. Would you...?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah." He sat on the floor in front of Prue. "The legends-well, we know them as truths, now-but the legends link the werewolf lineage directly back to a great chief in our history, Taha Aki. Before we were wolves, we were what the neighboring tribes called "Spirit Warriors". They would leave their bodies in times of war, to an advantage. The Spirit Warriors would turn animals against their enemies, and could thus win the battle. Taha Aki was the last Spirit Chief. One of Taha Aki's greatest warriors, Utlapa, was a very power-hungry individual. During times of peace, Taha Aki would take spiritual journeys to keep watch for threats to his people. During one of these journeys, Utlapa stole the chief's body, and killed his own, leaving Taha Aki no escape. He took Taha Aki's place as the chief of the Quileutes.

"Eventually, Taha Aki had the idea to join bodies with a wolf. He went back into the village-this was some time later, and Utlapa, fearing the true chief's vengeance, had forbidden spirit journeys. An older warrior disobeyed this command, and was murdered for it. However, Taha Aki's anger was so great that the wolf's body could not handle it. Before his own people's eyes, he transformed back into a man-the flesh interpretation of his spirit. In his rage, and with his newfound strength, Taha Aki crushed the life from Utlapa.

"Taha Aki knew that things would be different. When danger threatened, the wolf returned, and our tribe lived peacefully. Taha Aki's sons all found that, in time, they could transform into spirit wolves as well. They, like their father, did not age. Others of his sons refused the change, and they remained mortal. And thus, the wolves were born."

Sam paused here. "That's only one of our legends. Our history. But there's something else. I assume Jake hasn't mentioned imprinting to you?"

Prue shook her head. She seemed entranced by our legends.

Sam nodded. "I didn't think so. Well, you don't need to hear any more legends for imprinting to make sense. It's kind of like love at first sight, only much more powerful. Think...soul mates." He looked to Emily, and then down to Jared. "I'll use Jared and Kim as an example. But first, I have to explain that the person a wolf imprints on could be someone he's known all his life, and never thought twice about. That brings me to Jared and Kim. They sat next to each other in class every day for a year. He never noticed her as anything other than a classmate. And then, after he phased-became a wolf for the first time-he saw her and never looked away again." He smiled. "It's always inexplicable. And it's not supposed to be common. It's supposed to be rare. But it's happened to me-" he took Emily's hand at this- "and to Jared with Kim, and Quil. Speaking of, you also need to understand that imprinting is not always in a romantic sense. Example: Claire and Quil. Claire is two. He'll be everything that Claire needs in her life-a friend, a big brother, and in the end, something more. It'll be like he was made for her, and only her."

Prue nodded. "It's all so...interesting."

Sam nodded. "It really is." He stood. "I should go after Leah."

Emily nodded. "I'll keep the boys here. Should I tell them?"

"No." Sam shook his head. "I will when I get back." He left, and I faced Prue. "Well, now you know."

She smiled. "You didn't have to tell me all that."

I shrugged. "You deserve to know. He wouldn't have even brought up imprinting if I hadn't..." I trailed off.

She blushed, color blossoming like blood over her pale cheeks. "Oh."

I nodded. "Yeah, well, like Sam said, it's not something we can control. We just see the person, and..."

The color didn't fade from her cheeks. "Well, I don't see..." she smiled, brightly for the first time since I'd met her. "We could give it a try."

I smiled. "Okay. Um...I need to get you home soon. It sounds like there's going to be some Pack business going on, and I can't guarantee that we'll be done before you're due home. But I'll pick you up at noon tomorrow."

"What are we doing?" She looked confused, and the feeling spread to me when Emily pressed a sealed container into her hands.

Emily smiled. "She never got to eat, and you promised her uncle that she'd be fed."

I nodded. "Right, right. Anyway, I don't actually know what we're doing, but I'll figure something out." I was lying. I knew what we'd be doing. I was going to take her to the Cullen place, but I'd have to call Alice to make sure Edward would still be gone. If not, I'd make plans with Bella.

She nodded. "Okay." She smiled at Emily. "Thank you for having me."

Emily smiled. "Don't worry about it. I look forward to having you again."

I held the motorcycle while Prue climbed onto the seat. "If Sam gets back before me..."

"I know," Emily replied. "You'll be back soon, you're just dropping Prue off."

I kick started the bike and got on. Before I knew it, we were in front of Prue's house. I saw the light on inside and knew her uncle was waiting up for her. I grinned sheepishly. "I'd better make this quick." I pulled her close and kissed her. Her eyes widened, but she didn't push me away. I figured that was a good start. When I got back on the bike and pulled away, she was still standing on the porch, but when I glanced back, she was inside.

I smiled to myself as I pulled back to Emily's. All in all, it had been a good first date.


	8. A Week Later

-Jacob-

-Jacob-

I couldn't stand the thought of spending a day away from Prue, but Sam insisted on running patrols. We set that for Friday, so I had to make plans before then. My first idea had been to take Prue to the beaches, but she refused to go. She couldn't swim. So I decided instead to take her to the clearing, the one Bella had been trying to find. She liked that idea, so it was set for Saturday.

That first meeting with Sam had gone well. He admitted that he liked Prue well enough, but he warned me to keep a close eye on things with her. The red-haired female vampire had been spotted nearby again, and her family lived right down the boundary line.

The vampires had been a little different. I took her to meet them the day after she met the wolves. Bella's leech was away still, but he was due back that evening, so I took advantage. Prue was skittish around them. She wouldn't say why, but she was nervous the entire time. She was polite, though, and I got the feeling that she did like them. I knew Alice loved her.

I picked her up on Saturday, about a week after the first meeting with Sam. He had agreed to keep lookout on the edge of the clearing, just out of sight. A precaution. If Victoria showed up, Sam could distract her long enough for Prue to get out of harm's way. We were close enough to the Cullens that she would go there.

We arrived at the clearing quickly; even on foot, I was faster than the bike. Her older brother had packed food for us, which was a nice gesture. I was a bottomless pit these days. Prue ate like a bird, so there was plenty.

After a few minutes of silence, I motioned around the clearing. "Pretty, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

I smiled. "You know, if you want, I could teach you to swim. Then we could go to the beaches."

She laughed a little. "I always wanted to learn, but we didn't live near a pool. We were three blocks from the Mississippi River, but you couldn't swim there. And we weren't allowed near Lake Pontchartrain. So I never learned."

I shrugged. "It's no big deal. I'll teach you next weekend. Bella wanted me to accompany her to Port Angeles, and the beaches there are tamer than the ones here on the rez."

She started to answer, but she was interrupted by a howl from Sam. One long one, the signal that he'd caught a scent. I smiled wryly at her. "Stay here, I'll be back." I vanished behind the trees to phase. Once I did, Sam was in my head. _Could be nothing, _he told me. _Might be carrying over from the Cullen place. _

I sniffed once. _No. It's not a familiar scent. There's a lot of iron in the scent, like blood. _I sniffed the air again. It was strong. I loped back into the clearing, out of Prue's sight. I couldn't see her, so I figured she had vanished. At least, I hoped she had.

I kept sniffing. The scent was carrying, but there was no one in sight. No breeze, either, so no way for the scent to be far off. That's when I caught the flash of red. In the sunlight, it was a bright shade. I crouched low, ready to spring.

-Prue-

I figured Jake had wanted me to leave, but I also knew what the signal was if they spotted anything dangerous. I lay down in the grass for a moment, enjoying the sun on my face. I was happy here, happier than I thought I'd be. I enjoyed Jake's company, and I knew he enjoyed mine.

After a few minutes, I sat up. As I brushed the hair from my face, I noticed the bright shade it glowed in the sun. I stood up, and I heard a growl from behind me.

Slowly, fearfully, I turned. As I did, I saw a flash of rust-colored fur before I registered pain in my shoulder. I whimpered, afraid to scream, as Jacob's teeth ripped into my shoulder blade. His claws raked my arm, and I realized that not only did he not recognize me at the moment; he was trying to rip my arm off.

"Jacob..." I whimpered. Blood began to run down my arm, staining his muzzle. "Jake, please. Let go." I tried to pull my arm free, but his teeth clamped harder, and I felt muscle tear. Tears began to flow down my face. I was going to die here, killed by the one person that I thought I could trust.

The world spun suddenly, and I realized how much blood I had lost. I vaguely heard Sam shouting Jake's name. Then, suddenly, the pressure on my shoulder was gone. Through slit eyes I saw Sam, in human form, holding Jacob's mouth in his hands. Then everything went black, and I sank gratefully into unconsciousness.

-Jacob-

At first, when Sam grabbed me, I tried to fight. As I realized it was him, I settled. As soon as I was calm, Sam released me. He didn't look happy. I phased back, and he handed me my jeans wordlessly.

Once I was dressed, I looked to Sam. His gaze was troubled. I frowned. "What's up, Sam?" Mischievously, I added, "Did I get her?"

He turned slowly to face me. He wasn't smiling. "You could say that. What the hell were you thinking?"

My grin faded as I realized that Victoria had never been here. "If it wasn't...then who...?"

"See for yourself."

I pushed my way past him, and felt my stomach lurch. "Oh no." Prue lay in the grass before me, her arm nearly torn from her body. She was pale, almost grey. "Sam, I didn't..."

"You should have waited for my order, Jacob. You never listen to me. Now look what's happened."

I scooped her up. Her breathing was too faint. "I don't have time to get her to a hospital. I'm going to have to take her to the Cullen place."

Sam nodded. "I'm going to have to tell Billy, you know."

"Let me do it. When I've got Prue taken care of." I cradled Prue gently in my arms. I had every intention of getting her to the hospital, but Rosalie drove faster. I tore through the brush away from Sam, taking the short route to the Cullens.

As soon as she saw me coming, Rose had the door to the Volvo open. "It's easier to clean blood from here then the leather in the BMW. What happened?" She was already behind the wheel, car running, as I gently placed Prue in the back.

I slid into the shotgun position, and Alice slipped into the back. She cradled Prue's head in her lap. I couldn't look at them as I spoke. "I attacked her. In the clearing. I thought she was Victoria, and..."

Rose had already cleared the driveway by the time I was finished speaking. "We'll tell the hospital staff it was a mountain lion. Sam will have to claim to have killed it already. We'd normally have Emmett do it, but since Bella doesn't know about this...well, it'll save us from the massive hunt for the innocent animals, at least. We'll have to tell Carlisle the truth, but you know him, he doesn't judge. Alice, how's she doing?"

"Not well." Alice's voice was grim. "She's losing blood, fast. Can you go faster?"

The speedometer hit 120 MPH. I winced. "Edward's poor car. He'll hate you."

"He'll deal." She was dialing on her cell phone as she spoke. "Hi, Betty? Page Dr. Cullen for me, please?" A brief pause. "Carlisle? We have an emergency. No, not Bella. There was an incident with Jacob. It's Prue. Meet us in emergency. She's not doing well." Another pause. "Blood loss seems critical. She's grey. Breathing is shallow." She nodded at something Carlisle said. "We're here now." She hung up. "Carlisle will meet us with a few nurses at the emergency room entrance. They have a stretcher for her."

I nodded mutely. Rose's words had registered quickly. She called it an incident. I was afraid I had killed her.

Carlisle was beside me then. "She'll be fine, Jacob, I promise. I've seen worse."

I faced Carlisle. "You've seen worse than someone's arm being ripped off by a werewolf?"

He actually chuckled. "I'm sorry, Jake. Perhaps I used the wrong wording. You didn't rip her arm completely off. If it was completely off, I wouldn't be able to save it. As it is, I can. She's going to be scarred, but I can reattach the arm." He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Just go to the waiting room with Alice. Prue will be just fine."

I nodded; I trusted Carlisle. He motioned for me to follow Alice as he disappeared with Prue. Alice tugged at my arm. "Don't worry, Carlisle knows what he's doing."


	9. The Hospital

Jake

Jake

The next three hours were a nightmare. Especially when Bella showed up in the emergency room. I started. "Bella, what are you doing here?"

She smiled sheepishly, holding up her bleeding arm. "Emmett drove me. I...um, tripped and landed on one of the tools. Why are you here?"

"You remember Prue?"

"David's kid sister, yeah. What about her?"

"We were...hiking, and she got attacked by a mountain lion. Sam killed it, but Dr. Cullen's got her in surgery right now."

"Oh." Bella sat down next to me. "I thought you hated Carlisle."

"First doctor that was available quickly." I cursed internally. Alice had been keeping me sane, but she was hiding from Bella. I hated all the lies.

Bella didn't seem to notice. "So tell me honestly. How do you like Prue? I mean, you're constantly with her. You blew me off last week to hang out with her, and Sam told me you were going out with her again today. Are you two an item?"

I actually had to laugh. "Jealous?"

"No, of course not." Bella's eyes widened. "I'm just curious."

I nodded. "Well, you're right. Bells, I think...I might have imprinted on Prue." _If she doesn't hate my guts. If she wants anything to do with me after this._

Bella smiled. "That's great."

Before I could answer, Carlisle was in the room. "Jacob?"

I feigned indifference. "Yes?"

"Prue's out of surgery now. You can see her. And I've had Betty call her uncle." He glanced at Bella. "Hello, Bella. What can I do for you?"

I didn't wait for Bella's answer. I was already halfway down the hall to Prue's room. Afraid of what I would see, I went inside.

She looked so small lying on the bed. I went to her side. Carlisle had reattached her arm, arteries, veins and all, but she was going to have scars down her left arm. Her eyes were closed, and I wondered how long she would be out for. I hoped she would wake up before her family arrived. I wanted to tell her the story that was going to be given to them, so she couldn't accidentally ruin it. But mostly, I wanted to apologize to her privately.

The door opened before she woke, and I found myself surrounded by her family. Her brothers were by her side in a heartbeat, and her sister hung back by the door, clearly disturbed by the situation. None of them paid attention to me. Her uncle, however, was livid. I braced myself for the moment when he blamed me. He looked straight to me. "Why wasn't I called immediately?"

I kept my gaze locked with his. "I'm sorry. She was losing a lot of blood. My first and only thought was to get her to a hospital as quickly as possible."

He continued to glare. "That was three hours ago."

"Yes, and I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I was worried about her."

Her brother--the older one, David--looked up. "Let it go, Uncle. Jacob did what he thought was best. All that matters is that she's still alive. Dr. Cullen said she should come to soon."

I nodded. "Carlisle--um, Dr. Cullen--said she should be okay. She'll be scarred, but she should regain use of her arm. Sam killed the mountain lion."

Her uncle nodded. His face had softened upon looking at his niece. "Her mother would be so upset if she knew this had happened." He looked at me. "Sorry. About the yelling, I mean. I was just..."

"Upset, I know." I nodded, imagining how much more upset he'd be if he knew the truth. "It's fine, I'm not upset."

Tom nodded. "Anyway, I'd like to thank you for being there with her. If you hadn't...I don't even want to think about it. We've already lost Melinda and Richard. The family doesn't need to go through that again."

I frowned. "Melinda and Richard?"

"Their parents. Melinda is-was-my sister, and Richard was her husband. They both died recently. That's why we moved here."

"Oh. Prue didn't mention that." Well, she had, but not in detail, and of course I hadn't pushed.

"I didn't expect her to. She's not over it yet. She and her _mere _were extremely close."

I nodded, suddenly unable to speak. I realized the pain I'd almost been responsible for in her family, and it tore me up inside. I swallowed hard. "I, um...I have to go talk to Dr. Cullen for a minute."

Carlisle picked that moment to walk in. "Jake, would you mind waiting for me in my office? Visiting hours are almost over, and I need to speak to Prue's family before they leave."

I nodded. "Mind if I borrow your phone? I need to call Billy."

Carlisle nodded. "Go right ahead. I'll be in shortly."

o0o

Carlisle came in about half an hour later. I had already called Billy by that point. He wasn't thrilled about the accident, but he was glad to hear that Prue had survived. I was sitting in the office, just thinking about the accident, when Carlisle came in. He sat behind his desk, Prue's file in his hands. Before I could even register his presence fully, he had put the folder away. He sighed. "Jake, I need to know what happened. What really happened. I know you're upset about it, but..."

"No, it's okay." I hoped my voice didn't betray me; I knew my hands were shaking under the desk. "I just...okay, well, we were out in the clearing. I took Prue on a picnic. Sort of impromptu, really, I just wanted to spend the day with her. Sam was standing guard for us. Victoria's been spotted on the rez again, and he wanted to help keep her safe. He um...well, he caught a scent, and he warned me, so I phased."

"And that's when it happened?"

"No, I was away from Prue when I phased. I had thought she'd head to your place, but...anyway, I caught the scent, and I was looking for her, when...well, in the sun, Prue's hair is the exact same shame of red as Victoria's. I spotted it, and..."

"You attacked?"

"Without thinking, without waiting for the order from Sam. I feel horrible about it. And I understand if she hates me, but I want the chance to apologize. And I won't stop watching over her."

Carlisle nodded. "I understand. I'll have to tell the others, about Victoria. If she's nearby...but don't worry, we'll arrange something with Sam later. Anyway, she's waking up , if you want to go see her."

"But you said..."

"I did. But I have some pull around here, and I know she'll want to see a friendly face when she comes to."

I choked. "And you think that's me?"

"I know it's you. Just go to her. Trust me, she'll be happy to see you."

I nodded. Standing, I headed back to Prue's room. Opening the door, I braced myself for the worst.


End file.
